Three days later.
Chen Feng watched the information on the panel refresh, a flicker of delight in his eyes.
Your Crimson Flame Saber Art has progressed to the mastery level.
The power of your Beginner Talent, Crimson Flame Saber Qi, has increased.
Beginner Talent: Crimson Flame Saber Qi (Saber qi condensed through an External Martial Arts Saber Technique, possessing scorching properties and extremely powerful penetrating force.)
"Crimson Flame Saber Qi!"
Delight filled Chen Feng's eyes as he murmured softly.
Then, within the courtyard, he flicked his hand, and his figure vanished from where he stood like a phantom.
Phantom saber qi descended through the air.
In that instant, a scorching saber glow sliced through space.
Faintly, it even seemed to carry a wisp of flame.
More importantly, at this moment, he could vaguely sense a faint current of force within his body.
Ssh!
As his saber swung down, a stone in the courtyard was instantly blasted into pieces by the saber qi.
Looking closely, one could see that the shattered stone bore a blackened layer, as though it had been scorched.
However, after that strand of saber qi was unleashed, it vanished again.
When he tried to sense it once more, even Chen Feng felt a trace of fatigue.
"Is this true qi?" His eyes were filled with contemplation and amazement.
The power unleashed by merely this strand of saber qi actually felt even stronger than his own physical strength.
According to the information he had learned, there were martial artists who specialized in Qi Cultivation, but even they only began to involve themselves with true qi upon reaching the fourth rank.
Yet now, simply by cultivating an External Martial Arts Saber Technique, he had already condensed saber qi.
This left him rather astonished.
But he did not know much, nor did he understand what was happening.
After pondering for a while without finding an answer, Chen Feng decided to ask Teacher Qian Hu what was going on.
In the office, when Qian Hu saw Chen Feng unleash a strand of saber qi, his eyes were full of astonishment.
"Saber qi?"
"You cultivated the Crimson Flame Saber Art?"
Qian Hu stared at Chen Feng, amazement written all over his face.
Chen Feng nodded. "Yes, Teacher Qian."
Somewhat puzzled, he asked, "What should I do next? Didn't you say that Qi Cultivation martial artists in the first three ranks also temper their bodies?"
Qian Hu stood and looked at the place where Chen Feng's saber qi had struck, a complicated expression in his eyes.
Then he sighed in admiration. "That is how it is described now."
"But you must understand what qi is. In the beginning, qi is condensed from one's vitality and blood."
"That is why, throughout martial cultivation, even Qi Cultivation begins with body refinement."
"Among martial artists, there are always some extraordinarily gifted individuals. Because their bodies are powerful enough, they can condense true qi before they have even completed the tempering of their physical bodies."
Chen Feng asked in confusion, "So does that mean I count as fourth rank now?"
Qian Hu said solemnly, "You count as a weak fourth-rank martial artist."
"After all, the most difficult part of reaching the fourth rank is condensing the first strand of true qi."
"Once the first strand of true qi is condensed, opening the Dantian Sea of Qi and clearing the meridians will become much easier."
Chen Feng's eyes lit up. "So that's how it is."
"In other words, with this strand of saber qi, I can kill martial artists below the fourth rank?"
Qian Hu said, "You could put it that way."
"But before you unleash this strand of saber qi, its condensation speed probably isn't very fast, is it? Unless you can unleash it continuously, or strike this strand of saber qi directly at the enemy's vital point."
"After all, the greatest difference between fourth-rank martial artists and Body Tempering martial artists is true qi. Unless Lower Three Ranks martial artists possess treasured armor, they basically cannot withstand attacks of true qi."
Chen Feng nodded. "I understand."
After hesitating for a moment, Qian Hu continued, "You are still in the Lower Three Ranks. I suggest that you carefully choose your future path."
"If you have talent in Qi Cultivation, you can choose the Qi Cultivation path. It is the safest path. Without the influence of demon Killing Intent and souls, the risks will be much lower."
Chen Feng asked, "Can't I cultivate both?"
Qian Hu shook his head. "It is very difficult."
"The path of tempering the body with demons can itself be considered a Demonic Cultivation Path."
"Refining demon essence blood, even transforming one's body toward that of a demon, refining demon souls."
"Both one's mind and body may already have been influenced by demons."
"It can be considered an Outer Dao, using external forces to alter and control one's own body."
"As for Qi Cultivation, it is more like meditative cultivation, absorbing Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy, relying more on enlightenment."
"If you cultivate both, you simply cannot spare enough mental capacity to comprehend heaven and earth."
As Chen Feng listened to Teacher Qian Hu's explanation, all kinds of thoughts flashed through his mind. He said thoughtfully, "So that's how it is."
"I still want to give it a try."
After pondering for a moment, Qian Hu said, "You can try."
"There have also been exceptionally gifted martial artists who attempted to cultivate both body refinement and Qi Cultivation. But the farther they progressed, the more they ended up cultivating only one path."
Chen Feng's eyes were thoughtful. So that was how it was.
Then what he lacked most right now was a cultivation technique related to Qi Cultivation.
With a Qi Cultivation technique, he could cultivate true qi.
That way, it would be as though he had directly skipped past the first three stages of the body refinement realm.
Chen Feng pondered his future path.
At this moment, Qian Hu could naturally sense some of Chen Feng's thoughts.
After thinking for a moment, he took a piece of white jade and a box from his Storage Bag. "This is Spirit Warming Jade. It can accelerate a martial artist's absorption of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy by roughly twenty percent."
"There are also five spirit stones here. You can take them and try cultivating with them."
"As for cultivation techniques, I suggest you choose one from the academy's Scripture Pavilion. The techniques displayed there have all undergone various examinations and been recognized through cultivation."
"You can choose according to your own preferences."
"As for points, you will have to earn them yourself."
Chen Feng looked at the items in Qian Hu's hands, surprise in his eyes. "Teacher Qian, these things are too valuable."
On the market, treasures that could increase cultivation speed were worth at least ten thousand taels of silver, while even a single spirit stone could be exchanged for over a thousand taels of silver.
He had not expected Teacher Qian Hu to give him so many things outright.
Qian Hu smiled. "They are not that valuable. Consider this my personal investment in you. As long as you can grow stronger and kill a few more demons, that will be enough."
Chen Feng drew a breath. "I will."
"Teacher Qian, your investment will not be wasted."
After speaking with Qian Hu.
Chen Feng headed directly toward the academy's Wind and Cloud Tower.
Now, the fastest way to obtain more points was to challenge the Wind and Cloud Ranking.
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